Arthouse Streamer MUBI Buys European Sales Company The Match Factory
Global distributor, streaming platform, and production company MUBI announced today that it has acquired the longtime sales and production companies The Match Factory and Match Factory Productions.
Founded in 2006, The Match Factory is known for bringing specialty films to audiences, including the Cannes Palme d’Or winner “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives,” Oscar-nominated arthouse favorites such as “Waltz with Bashir” and “Toni Erdmann,” award-winning recent films like “Drive My Car,” and also the early films of Jim Jarmusch and the complete library of Aki Kaurismäki.
Match Factory Productions was founded in 2013 by Michael Weber and Viola Fügen. Among their co-productions are “Prayers for the Stolen,” “Memoria,” and “Never Gonna Snow Again,” all of which were released theatrically last year. (“Memoria” continues its roadshow national rollout, courtesy of U.S. distributor Neon.) The newest Match Factory projects include films by Amat Escalante (“Heli”) and Joshua Oppenheimer (“The Act of Killing”).
“As longtime partners of The Match Factory, we have gained tremendous admiration and respect for Michael and his team,” Efe Cakarel, founder & CEO of MUBI, said in an official statement. “We could not be more excited for them to join us in pursuing the goal we clearly share: to bring beautiful cinema to film lovers around the world. MUBI and The Match Factory are highly complementary businesses and we look forward to joining together with our friends.”
Mubi has as its CCO Jason Ropell, former Amazon Head of Motion Pictures, who has been developing the streamer’s in-house slate for the past two years.
Weber, managing director of The Match Factory, added, “When I embarked on the The Match Factory journey together with my partners Reinhard Brundig, Viola Fügen, Thania Dimitrakopoulou, Jenny Walendy, and the late Karl Baumgartner, I envisioned discovering filmmakers and their stories, working with them and bringing their finest work out to the world. I have taken great pleasure and satisfaction throughout the years with the many encounters with truly gifted people, creative minds, generous souls. Cinema is a vibrant and living ecosystem, constantly altering and expanding.”
The Match Factory’s current management team will continue to lead its operations and will remain focused on its core business, including its existing slate and deals and projects in development, which include new films by Andreas Dresen, Lukas Dhont, Christian Petzold, Fatih Akin, Emin Alper, and Marco Bellocchio. The company will maintain its offices in Berlin and Cologne, and will expand its presence through MUBI’s headquarters in London and offices in New York and Los Angeles.
Recent acquisitions for MUBI from The Match Factory include Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s “Memoria” and two titles currently Oscar-shortlisted for Best International Feature: Sebastian Meise’s multi-prize winning “Great Freedom” and Tatiana Huezo’s “Prayers for the Stolen.”
Previous acclaimed titles acquired for all rights in multiple territories include Pablo Larraín’s “Ema,” Gianfranco Rosi’s “Notturno,” and Michel Franco’s “New Order.”
